NAD - My AFD Has Arrived - FINALLY!

[kissfanps]

After many months of waiting, my AFD is here. I just got it so snapped some shots and will give you guys my initial impressions.

It is far from "thin" on the AFD mode. It is so easy to dial in tones. It is just pure in your face rock with plenty of gain on tap. I will probably be using it in the 4-7 range and master about the same. The power control works like a charm and allows me to crank the master and still be able to play in my apartment. The one thing I am most happy about is the FX loop control. With the stomp of a foot, I can boost for solos so easily. This is like the perfect rock and roll amp. Thank you Marshall, Santiago, and Slash. I promise a proper review when I get done putting her through the paces. For now, I give you AMP PORN:

Oh and my camera just broke! I need a new one anyway. This pics are terrible quality.

[surfnorthwest]

Sweet! I am truly happy for you as I know how excited you were to get it. Looks bad ass. Sounds like your happy with it too. Congrats

[Encore]

Wow, that's cool! Congratulations!
I feel ashamed for losing my patience after one month of waiting, when you waited for your AFD for many months.
Have some fun with it!

[slash-ed]

Congrats!!

Are you planning on running your pedalboard through the FX loop? (or at least part of it)

LOVING the white LP Custom.

[CBoothe]

That thing looks sooooo sweeeeeet sitting on top of the Avatar! Rock On!

[kissfanps]

Thanks everyone!

I've been waiting since october for this baby.

I don't plan on running anything through the loop. I'm happy using it just for a solo boost.

[gtrman]

Finally .. welcome !!
It's an exiting time :-)
Have fun with it ... you will absolutely love this amp.

[Onza_Jk]

Nice one man, the long wait finally paid off for you!

[kissfanps]

My Initial Review

First, I will start with what the amp was designed for - the AFD mode. This mode is fat and heavy rock and roll. There is a lot of gain for a circuit based on a vintage amp (due to the hotrodding), but the gain doesn't sound modern at all. It definitely has a vintage feel to it. It is very easy to dial in a good heavy rock tone, at least my idea of a good tone. I like all the EQ and presence at 6-7, the master anywhere from 5-8, and the gain from 4 on. I don't really find I like the gain below 4. Now, I live in an apartment so the power control is a god send. I will be honest here. I notice a little change in the tone when using it. It becomes slightly muffled, BUT i found a cure - the presence control! If I turn down the power, a little boost of presence will bring back the small amount that disappears. The amp plays beautifully. For some reason, my Sweet Child O Mine lick is cleaner than ever! It must be the magic of the amp!

Now, the #34 mode. If you set the amp to be played in AFD and then switch it to #34, you will not like what you hear. This is completely fine as its basically a different amp. The AFD100 is not a two channel amp, so don't use it like one! I like to set the presence around 4, the bass at 8.5, the middle at 7, the treble at 4.5, the master at 6-7, and the gain from 8-10. I have never really played a JCM 800 so I was surprised that this mode wasnt uber saturated like all the 80's hair metal tunes I have come to love. My guess is that most of those guys were juicing the front of their amps. Anyway, I enjoy the #34 mode. It is not as full as the AFD, but it definitely is usable, especially when using a pedal in front to get that 80's tone.

As I said before, the FX loop is probably my favorite thing. I'm not using it for effects, but for a solo boost. It can pump the volume 10 dB. Now that is a large increase and works great. I can't wait to use this in a band situation. And it is really nice to have the two inputs. I can get a variety of tones.

In all, this amp is everything I wanted and more. This is my rock and roll amp. Its not for blues. Its not for cleanish tones. Its not for country. It is for pure in your face rock and roll and is meant to be played with a les paul and humbuckers. Thats it. If you have one, dont try and make it into something its not.

[surfnorthwest]

I think you just need to find the right boost/OD/dirt box for #34 mode and make it your own. Either that or just live in AFD mode which is what the amp was all about in the first place. I would try a delay and reverb in the loop to widen up/3D the tone a bit.

I think if I had it, I would probably mod out the #34 mode IF I couldn't find the right pedal for that mode, my thoughts are there is a pedal out there that will make the #34 mode very usable, the metal muff comes to mind.

[Mats A]

My Initial Review

First, I will start with what the amp was designed for - the AFD mode. This mode is fat and heavy rock and roll. There is a lot of gain for a circuit based on a vintage amp (due to the hotrodding), but the gain doesn't sound modern at all. It definitely has a vintage feel to it. It is very easy to dial in a good heavy rock tone, at least my idea of a good tone. I like all the EQ and presence at 6-7, the master anywhere from 5-8, and the gain from 4 on. I don't really find I like the gain below 4. Now, I live in an apartment so the power control is a god send. I will be honest here. I notice a little change in the tone when using it. It becomes slightly muffled, BUT i found a cure - the presence control! If I turn down the power, a little boost of presence will bring back the small amount that disappears. The amp plays beautifully. For some reason, my Sweet Child O Mine lick is cleaner than ever! It must be the magic of the amp!

Now, the #34 mode. If you set the amp to be played in AFD and then switch it to #34, you will not like what you hear. This is completely fine as its basically a different amp. The AFD100 is not a two channel amp, so don't use it like one! I like to set the presence around 4, the bass at 8.5, the middle at 7, the treble at 4.5, the master at 6-7, and the gain from 8-10. I have never really played a JCM 800 so I was surprised that this mode wasnt uber saturated like all the 80's hair metal tunes I have come to love. My guess is that most of those guys were juicing the front of their amps. Anyway, I enjoy the #34 mode. It is not as full as the AFD, but it definitely is usable, especially when using a pedal in front to get that 80's tone.

As I said before, the FX loop is probably my favorite thing. I'm not using it for effects, but for a solo boost. It can pump the volume 10 dB. Now that is a large increase and works great. I can't wait to use this in a band situation. And it is really nice to have the two inputs. I can get a variety of tones.

In all, this amp is everything I wanted and more. This is my rock and roll amp. Its not for blues. Its not for cleanish tones. Its not for country. It is for pure in your face rock and roll and is meant to be played with a les paul and humbuckers. Thats it. If you have one, dont try and make it into something its not.

Well spoken! I totally agree with you. And you can get a clean tone if you use the volume controls on the guitar. #34 mode is especially nice on the rythm pickup i think.

[Hellhound]

Yeah that #34 mode is real nice with the rhythm pickup

Congrats on the new AFD! Such a long wait, good to hear that you like it.

[Slashwannabe1]

I think your review is very good & honest :) Congrats! man I only wish I could try one let alone own one. That has to be pretty special.

My thoughts on the #34 mode, is that it sounded great when Slash played it and it sounded great when others on youtube played it, so I know its not just Slash that makes it sound good. Now strumming a D chord is a D chord no matter whos playing it, its either in tune or its not, every chord I heard Slash play through the AFD100 & his original #34 sounds equally as impressive as all the noobs,semi pros & professionals on youtube playing an AFD100, so the "tone in the fingers" shouldn't really apply if we're just talking open chord tone. I think it really depends on your assisting gear and how its set weather or not you'll need a boost or if its too thin.

Anyone who says the AFD100 #34 is too thin should do me a favor and post their guitar type, pickup models & heights,effect chain & string gauge and report back to me so I can see if a pattern is ocurring between everyone who thinks its unusable. Seriously I had my VM set to be really thin for my first attempt at trying to get close to a #34 type tone and as soon as I adjusted my pickups it fattened up the sound quite a bit and I had to further thin up the amp settings to get my current #34 rip off tone with the VM. People seem to really be sticklers about adjusting pickups but back in the 70s & 80s there wasn't a whole lot of options for high gain amplifiers in terms of what amplifiers today put out so they had to compensate with adjusting their guitars & gear best they could in terms for tone,sustain & gain. I used to be real big on the closer the better for pickups but I got put in my place a month or two back and am now a huge believer in tayloring each guitar to suit the tone you want to get out of the amplifier. I think doing that would help out a lot of the people who dislike the #34 mode a lot.

I sometimes wonder if people think professionals take 10-15 guitars on the road just because they have money and they can?. Its actually because each guitar has its own sound & setting for a given song regardless of brand,quality or price.

I don't own a AFD100 and have never have tried one but I don't need to, to know that adjusting pickups can dramatically fatten or thin a guitars sound up and even balance the tone of a guitar.

I'm sorry to be on this kick but I think trying a free option (adjusting pickups to taste) would be a great first route to take instead of dropping money on a stomp box.

I think theres many usable tones out of the #34 mode, most of us Slash fans have all heard it on record and liked it, should be no reason it sounds crappy in real life. Most of the VM youtube clips weren't dramatically different than it was when I first tried it so I see no reason why the mass of clips today for the AFD100 modes should be dramatically different either. I got exactly what I expected to get when my VM came.

Again sorry about the long post here lol I don't have all the answers and am sorry if I came off long winded and know it all but just tyring to point out something simple that may be overlooked. I'd certainly love to try the AFD100 out so I could give a more acurate assessment as to why some think #34 is not too pleasing. Everyone seems to love the AFD mode though haha.

[slash-ed]

I tried #34 in a band context this afternoon and it sounded great. And much more versatile in a covers band context, I actually got some pretty good cleans out of it with the guitar volume rolled back. I had all settings on 5 (incl. gain) and the master on 7-8 with the EPA around 4.5.

It just needs some juice on the master to fatten it up. This is why it's awesome that they put the power scaling in, it's pretty much vital to getting a good tone out of #34 at sane volumes.

It also fills right up with a bass and drums going, and because of the trebly-ness (which people hear as "thin" on its own) it sits really nicely in the mix. I actually didn't even have to use the FX loop as a solo boost, I just put the guitar volume on full and it just jumped to the front.

[Mats A]

Where do you think the pickups should ne on a Les Paul to make it sound fat then? Back before high gain amps people often had their pickups as close to the strings as they could. I´ve heard that having the strings too close can mess with the intonation on the guitar.

According to the VM i think it´s a totally different amp to the AFD and i don´t think they sound alike at all. The VM is much more open and Fenderish sounding. Maybe you can get close to the #34 tone on a VM.